Paper fetching device using a suction disc for adhering to paper

ABSTRACT

In an image system, a suction disc is used for adhering to paper to lift up the paper. A drawing device pulls a perimeter of a flexible and deformable suction disc to deform the suction disc, and the pulling force is released when the suction disc contacts the paper, resulting in the suction disc adhering to the paper. The drawing device pulls the perimeter of the suction disc again that the adhering force between the suction disc and the paper is lost in order to drop the paper.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a paper fetching device, and morespecifically, to a paper fetching device using a suction disc foradhering to paper.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A prior art image device (such as a copier, a printer, a fax machine, ora multifunction business machine) usually has a paper tray for holding aplurality of pieces of paper or photo paper. It is also required to feedpaper one by one into a printing body of the image device with a paperfetching device, which can be classified into two types: roller type andvacuum type. Please refer to FIG. 1, which is an illustration of a paperfetching device using a roller according to the prior art. The paperfetching device conveys a piece of paper 12 via friction of a robberroller 10. However, the piece of paper 12 can become marked when theroller 10 contacts the piece of paper 12 and the roller 10 may not beable to convey the piece of paper 12 if the piece of paper 12 sticks tootightly to the paper or the bay below due to static electricity. Pleaserefer to FIG. 2 for another paper fetching device 20 using a vacuumsucker. The paper fetching device 20 comprises a vacuum generator 22 anda suction disc 24. The vacuum generator 22 can be a vacuum pump or adevice capable of compressing air to generate a vacuum state.

The paper fetching device 20 generates the vacuum state in a suctiondisc 24 with the vacuum generator 22 so that the air pressure betweenthe suction disc 24 and the piece of paper 12 is lowered and the suctiondisc 24 can adhere to a side of the paper 12. Meanwhile, an air blower26 blows a strong airflow to the side of the paper 12 and makes the sideof the paper 12 float slightly on the paper below, which allows thesuction disc 12 to lift the paper 12 more easily. Despite itsadvantages, the vacuum generator 22 is much more expensive, morecomplicated, and larger than the roller-type paper fetching device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The claimed invention provides a paper fetching device using a suctiondisc for adhering to paper. The paper patching device comprises asupport rod, a suction disc fixed at one end of the support rod foradhering to a side of a first medium, and a drawing device having oneend fixed at a perimeter of the suction disc for pulling the perimeterof the suction disc to deform the suction disc.

The claimed invention also provides an image system having a paperfetching device using a suction disc for adhering to paper. The imagesystem comprises a housing, a paper fetching device using a suction discfor adhering to paper, and a fixer movably installed on the housing forpressing against a portion of the first medium when the paper fetchingdevice is adhering to the side of the first medium. The paper fetchingdevice comprises a support rod movably installed on the housing, asuction disc fixed at one end of the support rod for adhering to a sideof a first medium, and a drawing device having one end fixed at aperimeter of the suction disc for pulling the perimeter of the suctiondisc to deform the suction disc.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt becomeobvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment that isillustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a paper fetching device using a rolleraccording to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a paper fetching device using a vacuumsucker according to the prior art.

FIG. 3 to FIG. 7 are illustrations of the operation of a paper fetchingdevice when adhering a paper using a suction disc according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an image system having a paper fetchingdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Please refer to FIG. 3 to FIG. 7, which are illustrations of a paperfetching device 30 when adhering a piece of paper 32 using a suctiondisc 34 according to the present invention. The paper fetching device 30comprises a suction disc 34, a support rod 36, a drawing device 38, anda guiding element 40. The support rod 36 is the stem of the paperfetching device 30 with the suction disc 34 fixed at one end of thesupport rod 36. The suction disc 34 is an elastic deformable arc-shapeddisc and is naturally downward concave. The suction disc 34 is fixed atthe end of the support rod 36 with its convex surface. The drawingdevice 38 can be a wire or a linkage device. One end of the drawingdevice 38 is fixed at a perimeter of the suction disc 34 and the otherend is connected with a power source (not shown in the figures). Thepower source supplies a pulling force that enables the drawing device 38to pull the perimeter of the suction disc 34 and deform the suction disc34. The guiding element 40 is installed around the support rod 36 andprovides room for the drawing device 38 to be inserted through, allowingthe drawing device 38 to move. The drawing device 38 can then pull theperimeter of the suction disc 34 toward the guiding element 40.

As FIG. 3 shows, when fetching paper, the drawing device 38 of the paperfetching device 30 is driven by the power source along the direction Fand pulls the perimeter of the suction disc 34 to deform the suctiondisc 34 toward the guiding element 40. At this time, the suction disc 34is upward concave. Then, the paper fetching device 30 moves down along adirection N, i.e., toward the piece of paper 32. When the suction disc34 contacts a side of the piece of paper 32, as FIG. 4 shows, thepulling force along the direction F from the power source is released.Then, the suction disc 34 returns to its natural state, and theperimeter of the suction disc 34 adheres to the piece of paper 32 due tothe vacuum between the suction disc 34 and the piece of paper 32. InFIG. 5, the paper fetching device 30 lifts along a direction F. Sincethe suction disc 34 is firmly adhered to the piece of paper 32, the thepiece of paper 32 is lifted along the direction F with the suction disc34. The piece of paper 32 is successfully lifted away from another paperby the paper fetching device 30.

Please refer to FIG. 6. The piece of paper 32 is suspended in the air bythe suction disc 34 of the paper fetching device 30 and is totallyseparate from paper below. After the paper fetching device 30 picks upthe piece of paper 32, the paper fetching device 30 has to drop thepiece of paper 32 for being conveyed into a printer by a paper feedingdevice. As FIG. 7 shows, when the suction between the suction disc 34and the piece of paper 32 is removed, the piece of paper 32 is separatedfrom the paper fetching device 30. This can be done when the powersource again drives the drawing device 38 along the direction F, and thedrawing device 38 pulls and deforms the perimeter of the suction disc 34toward the guiding element 40. When the suction disc 34 turns upwardconcave again, the suction between the suction disc 34 and the piece ofpaper 32 is lost, and the paper fetching device 30 moves along thedirection F and drops the piece of paper 32.

The paper fetching device according to the present invention can beapplied to an image system 50, as FIG. 8 shows. FIG. 8 is anillustration of the image system 50 having a paper fetching device 30.The paper fetching device 30 is the same as those in FIG. 3 to FIG. 7.The image system 50 further comprises a housing 44 and a fixer 42, whichis movably installed on the housing 44. One end of the support rod 36 ofthe paper fetching device 30 is fixed with the suction disc 34 and theother end of the support rod 36 is installed on the housing 44. Also,one end of the drawing device 38 is fixed at the perimeter of thesuction disc 34 and the other end is connected to a power source (notshown in FIG. 8), where the power source is installed on the housing 44.The fixer 42 of the image system 50 is for pressing against a portion ofthe piece of paper 32 when the paper fetching device 30 is adhered tothe side of the piece of paper 32. The portion of the piece of paper 32pressed by the fixer 42 can be the center part of the piece of paper 32or the other side (relative to the side adhered by the paper fetchingdevice 30) of the piece of paper 32. The rigidity of the piece of paper32 (generally a photo paper) ensures that when the paper fetching device30 adheres to one side of the piece of paper 32 and the fixer 44 pressesagainst the other side of the piece of paper 32 at the same time, thepiece of paper 32 can be separated from the paper below. Moreover, theimage system 50 according to the present invention can be a copier, aprinter, a fax machine, or a multifunction business machine.

The paper fetching device according to the present invention uses adrawing device for pulling a perimeter of a flexible and deformablesuction disc to deform the suction disc. The pulling force is releasedwhen the suction disc contacts a piece of paper, resulting in thesuction disc adhering to the piece of paper. The drawing device pullsthe perimeter of the suction disc again so that the adhering forcebetween the suction disc and the piece of paper is lost in order to dropthe paper.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device and method may be made whileretaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the abovedisclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and boundsof the appended claims.

1. A paper fetching device using a suction disc for adhering to paper,comprising: a support rod; a suction disc fixed at one end of thesupport rod for adhering to a side of a first medium; and a drawingdevice having one end fixed at a perimeter of the suction disc forpulling the perimeter of the suction disc to deform the suction disc. 2.The paper fetching device of claim 1 further comprising a guidingelement installed around the support rod, wherein the drawing device isinserted through the guiding element for pulling the perimeter of thesuction disc toward the guiding element.
 3. The paper fetching device ofclaim 2 wherein the guiding element is a retainer ring.
 4. The paperfetching device of claim 1 wherein the drawing device is a wire.
 5. Thepaper fetching device of claim 1 wherein the drawing device is a linkagedevice.
 6. An image system having a paper fetching device using asuction disc for adhering to paper, comprising: a housing; a paperfetching device using a suction disc for adhering to paper, comprising:a support rod movably installed on the housing; a suction disc fixed atone end of the support rod for adhering to a side of a first medium; anda drawing device having one end fixed at a perimeter of the suction discfor pulling the perimeter of the suction disc to deform the suctiondisc; and a fixer movably installed on the housing for pressing againsta portion of the first medium when the paper fetching device is adheringto the side of the first medium.
 7. The image system of claim 6 whereinthe paper fetching device further comprising a guiding element installedaround the support rod, where the drawing device is inserted through theguiding element for pulling the perimeter of the suction disc toward theguiding element.
 8. The image system of claim 7 wherein the guidingelement is a retainer ring.
 9. The image system of claim 6 wherein thedrawing device comprises a wire.
 10. The image system of claim 6 whereinthe drawing device comprises a linkage device.
 11. The image system ofclaim 6 wherein a portion of the first medium pressed by the fixer is aregion different from the side of the first medium.